The Rebellious Son Becomes a God

"Bang!"

The door was kicked open.

Jiang Li, sitting in front of his desk, frowned and looked at the three people who walked in.

They were Old Fourth Jiang Cheng, Old Sixth Jiang Hai, and Old Seventh Jiang Yue Qing, who were his fourth brother, sixth brother, and seventh sister, respectively.

Jiang Cheng had never gotten along with him, and Old Sixth and Seventh were his lackeys. They certainly didn't come to his place for tea.

"Jiang Li!"

Eager to show off, Jiang Hai threw the roasted sweet potato in his hand directly at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li's eyes were quick, and he caught the flying sweet potato, raising his eyebrows with a smile:"Fourth brother, sixth brother, seventh sister, have you come to deliver breakfast to me?"

Jiang Cheng snorted coldly:"Breakfast? We're here to warn you, don't think that being a scholar makes you special. I advise you to be more modest, and don't try to win our father's favor with this. Be careful, or I'll make you regret it!"

Jiang Yue Qing chuckled lightly:"Fifth brother, Fourth brother is right. You might as well not go to the local examination, lest you bring shame to our Jiang family."

Jiang Li feigned surprise:"Oh, I thought you were here to congratulate me on passing the imperial examination. It turns out you're still here to warn me. Don't worry, I will prepare well and won't let our father and the family down."

Jiang Hai cursed directly,"Don't be shameless when I give you face. If I don't give you face, you're just a bastard!"

Jiang Li's gaze turned cold, and with a forceful grip on the roasted sweet potato, he hurled it at Jiang Hai.

There was a 'slap' sound, mixed with a cry of agony.

Jiang Hai, with his fat head and big ears, was too slow to react to the incoming sweet potato, and was directly hit in the face, which exploded on impact, splashing Old Four, who was nearby, as well.

The atmosphere immediately became tense. Jiang Cheng and Jiang Hai didn't expect Jiang Li to fight back, while Jiang Yue Qing watched the scene with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Jiang Li, are you trying to rebel?" Jiang Cheng shouted angrily, exerting his middle-stage warrior's aura to pressure.

"Fool, you've already come to my door, and you don't allow me to fight back? Guess who Father will side with if this gets reported to him?" Jiang Li's expression remained unchanged, not affected by the pressure at all.

Jiang Hai wiped the sweet potato from his face and said angrily,"You, a good-for-nothing, deserve Father's approval? Think about your own status."

"Status? What's my status? What's yours? We're all Father's sons, where is your status better than mine? Or do you think Father will pay more attention to you just because you're fatter?" Jiang Li said coldly.

Jiang Hai, like Jiang Li, was also born to a concubine and was not favored. The only difference was that his maternal aunt was still alive, and his maternal grandfather's family had some minor assets.

If we're talking about being useless, Jiang Hai was far more useless than Jiang Li. Otherwise, he wouldn't be following Jiang Cheng, the legitimate young master, every day, fawning and flattering like a lackey.

Jiang Li's words hit Jiang Hai where it hurt.

Jiang Hai was about to make a move when Jiang Yue Qing quickly held him back, saying softly,"Sixth brother, calm down, don't be impulsive. Recently, Jiang Li has been favored, and it's hard to say whether Father will intervene in this matter. I think we shouldn't push it too far." These words managed to hold Jiang Hai back.

Jiang Cheng looked at Jiang Li coldly, a hint of complexity flashing through his eyes. Mentioned by his seventh sister, he himself couldn't predict their father's attitude.

After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly,"Jiang Li, I won't make things difficult for you today. But don't think you're off the hook. Your days of ease are still ahead."

Jiang Li sneered,"I'm ready anytime. I'm looking forward to seeing what other tricks you can come up with."

Jiang Cheng left with Jiang Hai and Jiang Yue Qing, turning to glance back at Jiang Li with an inscrutable expression as they were leaving.

To Jiang Li, the threats from Jiang Cheng and Jiang Hai were merely childish bickering. Real contests of strength would not be decided by such petty quarrels.

He scornfully curled his lips, not really caring for his father, but the authority that came with his name was indeed useful. It was a good thing that he didn't have to worry about exposing his strength in fights, but Jiang Yue Qing's look was odd, it felt strange.

He turned back to sit in front of his desk, but he could no longer focus on his morning reading.

"It seems I must speed up in enhancing my strength, at least to achieve good results in the local examinations to secure a place in the family, or to grasp some leverage over certain individuals," Jiang Li schemed to himself.

When Jiang Cheng returned to the main courtyard in a huff, he happened to find his mother, Madam Wang Chunling, sitting in the main hall having tea.

Beside her was Li Xinyue, also known as Aunt Li, the birth mother of Jiang Hai, the sixth brother.

He bowed respectfully and greeted,"Your son greets you, Mother."

As for Li Xinyue sitting next to her, Wang Chunling pretended not to notice her presence!

Wang Chunling slightly raised her eyes, glanced at Jiang Cheng, gently put down her teacup, and said:"Rise, Cheng'er, your complexion this early morning is not very good. Has something happened?"

Jiang Cheng snorted coldly, and embellished the story of what had happened at Jiang Li's place, emphasizing Jiang Li's disrespect and arrogance, and deliberately mentioned to Aunt Li how much Jiang Hai had been wronged.

Upon hearing this, Li Xinyue immediately became furious and exclaimed:"Jiang Li has become increasingly brazen now, daring to lay a hand on my little Hai! I think he doesn't want to live anymore! Does he really believe that with the master's protection, he can act without fear of the heavens or the earth?"

However, Wang Chunling did not agree, a cold smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, and waved her hand to calm Li Xinyue, saying:"Sister, don't worry. He is just a favored son born out of wedlock, can he really overturn the world?"

The term 'a son born out of wedlock' made Li Xinyue feel uncomfortable, as her son, Jiang Hai, was also born out of wedlock.

Madam Wang pretended not to notice and continued:"Although the master has bestowed many things upon Jiang Li's courtyard, you shouldn't pay too much attention to it. If the master truly valued him, he would have been given a different courtyard by now."

This statement was a subtle reminder that despite any gifts Jiang Li might have received, it did not necessarily indicate a change in status within the family hierarchy. It also suggested that if Jiang Li was truly favored, he would have been granted a more significant place to live, which he had not. This was a way of downplaying Jiang Li's current situation and reassuring Jiang Cheng and Li Xinyue that their own status was not threatened.

"You are all just too fearful, not seeing the master's true intentions clearly. As long as you don't go too far, the master won't interfere with you. There's no need to be so cautious and hesitant. It's the same as it's always been!"

Jiang Cheng suddenly realized,[Right, I've been too afraid of my father, that's why I've been so concerned. My mother really sees through things.]

"Sister is indeed wise, I wouldn't have thought of these things," Li Xinyue quickly flattered, her eyes clearly showing her unhidden fierceness.

Wang Chunling sneered inwardly,[Fool!]

Li Xinyue stood up and said,"Sister, I'll go back first to check if Xiao Hai has been injured, I'll take my leave now."

Wang Chunling waved her hand, allowing her to leave.

After Aunt Li left, Madam Wang, seeing Jiang Cheng's expression which was similar to Aunt Li's, couldn't help but warn,"Cheng'er, don't make a move against Jiang Li recently!"

"Why not? Mother, didn't you just say..."

"There are some things that others should do, and you just need to watch from behind," She felt a bit frustrated that her son didn't live up to expectations, those words were meant for Aunt Li, but she didn't expect her own foolish son to actually listen and believe them.

"Moreover, whether he can pass the imperial examination is another matter. Even if he does pass, there's still his mother to deal with. You just need to learn your own skills well."

Speaking of Jiang Cheng's studies, Madam Wang couldn't help but talk more.

"You should be more steady in the future, learn from your eldest brother, and become the master's right-hand man as soon as possible. Don't spend your days idly. When that time comes, if you want Jiang Li to die three times over, no one will be able to keep him until the fifth watch. I heard that your eldest brother recently..."

Here it comes again, every time she mentions the eldest brother, he would be nagged at for a long time, a flash of disgust crossed Jiang Cheng's eyes.

"Alright, Mother, I know, I'm going to practice now." Jiang Cheng was too lazy to listen to her praises for Jiang Yan, he interrupted Madam Wang's words, made an excuse, and left.

"You child... sigh!" Watching Jiang Cheng's quickly disappearing figure, Madam Wang couldn't help but sigh.